Many people have grown accustomed to the convenience afforded by wireless cellular telephones. Many people, including young children, carry a cellular phone on their person at all times or know where they can get their hands on one at all times. To further the functionality of such phones, manufacturers have recently added the ability to sync a wireless headset using a BLUETOOTH® connection or equivalent protocol.
Even with the availability of such wireless earpieces, many users prefer wired headphone solutions due to their reduced RF exposure, higher fidelity, lower cost, and ease of use.
One (1) drawback associated with the use of wired headphones is that the cord is unruly and annoying to manage when not in use. Many users place the headphones into a pocket or purse where they become knotted up. This causes difficulty the next time they headphones are need, and can damage the headphones and wiring over a long period.
In some cases, to avoid tangling, the cord is just left dangling from the user's head even while they are not using it. This has obvious downsides such as posing safety hazards, diminishing the user's ability to hear environmental sounds, looking strange, and increasing likelihood of damage to the headphones due to contact or snagging.
Various attempts have been made to provide cord take-up devices for earphones. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,389; U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,617; U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,957; U.S. Pat. No. 5,684,883; U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,098; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,611. However, none of these designs is similar to the present invention.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Many such devices are not sized or designed for constant comfortable connection to a cellular phone or similar device. Many such devices do not work with a wide range of audio devices. Many such devices do not provide convenient attachment or carrying means adaptable to a user's preferences and particularly suited for portable connection to a cellular phone. Many such devices do not include provisions for microphone assemblies as are necessary for cellular phone compatible headsets. Many such devices do not provide convenient concurrent operation of headphones, microphones, and plug assemblies in a quick and ergonomic manner. Accordingly, there exists a need for a recoil device for mobile phone headsets without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.